


fake king

by yolkyeomie



Category: K-pop, SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Gen, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), Possible Character Death, Princes & Princesses, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-01-25 15:12:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18577054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yolkyeomie/pseuds/yolkyeomie
Summary: ↠ overthrowing the upperclass is hard when you are one of them





	1. Unfortunate Beginnings

He was... hesitant. 

He was hesitant to walk into the palace. He didn't know whether it was because of the fear or sadness that kept tugging at his soul with each step he took. Just a few hours ago the prince had rushed into the kingdom on horseback, panicking and eyes full of tears. A messenger from his kingdom had come to collect him a few days ago, saying that there was an an emergency at his homeland. Without a second thought the prince had quickly rushed home away from kingdom he was once a guest to.

And now the prince was home, frightened and exhausted by negative thoughts that plagued his mind the closer he drew to the palace. The prince was caught off guard when the doors slowly opened, a female servant peeking through the door to see who was there. She panicked for a second, closing the door to regain her grip on reality and opened it up to him again. "Your highness, Prince Seungcheol," she began, her voice shaking with every word that came out of her mouth.

His breath hitched as she addressed him, bracing himself for the worst. The servant must have noticed how tense he was, as she didn't even finish what she originally going to say. She only opened the door wide before bowing to the prince. "His Majesty is in his room." He nodded, taking small steps into the building. Seungcheol was immediately greeted the throne room, tailored just for all the princes that lived in the palace. 

He ignored it though, waiting till he was out of the sight of the servant to begin sprinting up the stairs to the rest of the palace. His heart was pounding in his ears, as he ran wherever his feet took him, his eyes looking around for anyone he could recognize immediately. There was almost no one in the corridors and the entire palace was eerily quiet. It was odd when the kingdom had a king and twelve princes inhabiting the insides of it.

Seungcheol almost crashed into a wall as he stumbled up the stairs, tripping and fumbling with little to no elegance. His eyes darted over to a servant who was carrying a tray, a bowl of water and towel placed on top of it. She seemed shocked, not expecting the prince to be here so soon. Though when it clicked to her why he was here, she pointer behind her. "Your brothers... they're all his Majesty's room. I just left to fetch the medicine to give to him." 

The prince nodded to her, giving her a silent thanks as he scrambled to his feet again. As he got closer and closer to his destination, the busier the corridor began to be. Servants scurrying back and forth from the said room all stopped in their tracks when they spotted him. They'd bow on instinct and offer to take his coat, or help him get properly clothed for the indoors of the palace. He only shook his head, too busy with his own thoughts to want anything from them.

As he walked the lights in the hallway became dim, the only thing helping him was his sense of direction in the palace and the lamps that were burning a small flame inside. The amount of servants that he had encountered had decreased and guards increased. They all stood up straight with their heads held high, swords in their hands and armor shining like stars in the sky. It must be an honor for them to guard the doors of the king's room.

As Seungcheol walked past, all all kneeled collectively. There was no words to be spoke to them as they were doing their job and in the presence of royalty. He stopped once he reached the end of the corridor, greeted by a man who stood there with an energy much stronger than the other guards that were around. "So," the prince began, giving the man a look,"will you let me through?" The man only gave him a look, as if he was a little suspicious of the prince's intentions.

But it didn't last for long as the man soon stepped to the side. "I'm truly sorry for your loss, he was an important and deeply loved person of the royal family." He spoke, trying to give the prince even the slightly bit of sympathy. Seungcheol only walked past him and placed his hands on the door handle. A weird feeling ran through his body, as if he was displeased with the presence of the man that had stood before him. Before the prince opened the door, he glanced back at the man.

"I don't really think you have the right to say that." He explained, not waiting another second to hear the man's retorts. The prince only swung the door open and walked instead, closing it just as fast as he opened it. He was greeted by a dimly lit room, the only thing lighting the room was a candle that sat beside a large and grand bed on a pedestal. Seungcheol glanced around the room and spotted no one but a man in bed and a prince sitting at the foot of it, his lead leaning on it as he covered his face with his hands.

He was shocked by the sight of the young prince that laid at the bed, noticing something off about his appearance. "You cut your hair?" Seungcheol questioned, trying to lighten the sorrowful atmosphere that surrounded the two. The prince he was addressing looked up, caught off guard by his voice. His eyes searched the darkly lit room for the culprit before relaxing once they landed on Seungcheol.

"I ended up doing it out of impulse." The prince stated, touching the hair that didn't even fall shoulder length anymore. "You were gone and I was upset, so I took a dagger and cut it clean off. The maids were so angry with me, they liked my long hair a lot." He explained himself, giving Seungcheol a sheepish smile.

There was movement in the bed, making both princes stand on edge as they turned to see what was happening. The man who was laying in bed forced himself up so he could look at the two princes. "That's understandable. I for one loved your hair long very much, Jeonghan." He stated before going into a coughing fit, unable to speak anymore. Both princes jumped up in fear, running over to the man's side so they could help him.

"You shouldn't be speaking," said Jeonghan, searching the bedside table doors for something. "You're a little too weak for a full conversation. I would you give the medicine but the servant hasn't come back with refill." He explained to the man. Seungcheol watched the prince quietly, noticing how he was desperately looking for anything to give to the man who sat there patiently.

He wasn't going to express how much it hurt Seungcheol on the inside, watching as Jeonghan tried to provide something for the fallen king at his side. He couldn't remember when it first happened, when there was the first warning sign that the king was beginning his slow peril to another world. He had been forced to watch the king go from someone highly respected and strong to someone weak and fragile to the bone. In only five months did this terrifying transformation occur.

Seungcheol had took it upon himself to try and lessen the work load for the king, but as a result received criticizing and skeptical eyes from those who were below him. Rumors floated around in the air like leaves in the wind, trying to defame him as much as they could. "Prince Seungcheol is desperate for the throne." "Prince Seungcheol is trying to take over the kingdom for his own selfish desires." Of course he ignored and tried to move on with his original plan. 

"I'll go get the maid that left." He explained to Jeonghan who turned to him in shock. The prince must not have expected him to offer any help. Seungcheol smiled at him as he turned and began to walk towards the door. "I saw her not too long ago, she must still be in the area. I'll be back with the medicine soon, don't worry."

 

 

 

"Fuck!" Chan yelled, tumbling down the forest floor. He forced himself in his feet, running as fast as his legs could take him. After him were a few guards from the capital that the forest surrounded, chasing him in an angry fit. He had messed up while walking around capital, letting old habits make the best of him and snatching up some pretty jewels he saw hanging down a noble's neck. She should have been more aware of her surroundings as anyone like Chan would try to swipe such an expensive necklace from her.

He thought he'd have a better advantage by running out in the forest as his knowledge of the place was extensive. But the guards that were following him seemed to know just as much as Chan did, using all the sneaky passage ways that he knew with ease. It pissed him off really, he didn't need them knowing every twist and turn he would be making. The boy couldn't escape deeper into the forest either because he was supposed to be heading into the capital of the Pledis Kingdom today. 

His eyes darted towards the tall trees that stood above him, practically begging him to use them as his cover. Chan took the chance, never looking back as he stopped in his tracks and took a hold of the tree trunk that was beside him. With both feet digging into the trunk, he began to climb upwards and looking for the nearest tree branch he could find so he'd be able to lift himself up even higher.

He absolutely could not be found and wanted by the guards of Pledis, it would ruin everything for him. It wasn't just a reputation wise thing he was trying to keep up either, it was for the people he belonged to. He wasn't a citizen of the kingdom the forest stood beside, he wasn't born there or related to it in anyway possible. He was exiled to the exact forest he was currently in, well not exactly him but his people, by the king of Pledis himself. There wasn't a reasoning behind it either, he simply banished them because he simply felt like it.

His people soon became known as the Banished, ex-residents of the kingdom who were forced to live in the forest for eternity. While the people who lived in the kingdom believed they all perished as soon as they stepped foot in the forest, they had grown in population size, becoming big enough to even call themselves a kingdom of their own. In all the years they've been exiled, they were planning their revenge  on the kingdom which excitedly included Chan.

He wasn't known to the Pledis kingdom, he was flying completely under the radar unlike everyone else who were exiled. Because of this, the leader of the Banished placed him in their plan for vengeance. He was their secret weapon you could say. So if Chan was caught their whole plan would become a huge and ugly disaster. So the fact that he was being chased by guards of the kingdom that were after his head because of his impulses was a huge problem.

When the boy finally reached a branch in the trees that was sturdy enough to hold him up, he hauled himself on top of it. Chan his himself in the cover of the leaves and tried to keep his feet on the branch so that they wouldn't dangle down and get him caught. His breathing hitched as he saw the guards pass, stopping under the exact tree he was at. "Find that boy, dead or alive. We must return those jewels to Lady Nayoung, they were given to her by the prince himself."

Chan cursed to himself, digging in his pocket for the jewels he had snatched up. As soon as the sun had hit the necklace it shines, giving off a faint sparkle. He tapped one of the diamonds that hung in the middle of necklace, frowning. "So this thing is real? I took it because it looked expensive, I didn't think it was actually worth that much." Of course it was going to expensive if one of the princes of Pledis gifted it to her himself.

Speaking of the princes, he should be heading back into the capital of kingdom. He had business there thanks to the Banished's plans, but he didn't need to be caught by the guards that were below him. He glanced at the trees around him, assessing whether he had enough space to jump towards the one next to him without falling to the ground. After a good look, he ultimately decided that he would rather get arrested instead of breaking a bone.

He leaned over the tree branch, trying to find a good way to get down without going noticed. Yet the necklace in his hand slipped out his grip, falling to the ground. "Shit!" Chan yelled, desperately trying to reach for the necklace before it went out of his reach. He stretched his arm as far out as possible, only making him put too much weight on his upper body and falling to the ground with it. The necklace landed on the ground first before the boy landed right on top of it, groaning at the sudden pain he had to endure.

The guards flinched, looking behind them to see what had happened. Chan forced himself off the ground, touching his face and feeling a bruise on his face along with blood dripping down from his noise. He let out a deep sigh as he picked up the necklace and slid it back into his pocket, before noticing that he was being stared at. He turned around to see the guards pointing their sharpest swords at him, glaring and growling at the boy as he closed in on him.

"Oh... are you looking for this?" He asked, pulling out the necklace with a cheeky smile on his face. He tried to look friendly as he handed the jewel towards them, backing up at the same time to give him enough space to run away. "I found it on the ground! I was... going to turn it when I got back to the kingdom! But I see this might be what you young... and very much armed men are looking for." Chan explained, grinning at them as he placed the necklace on the floor in front of them. "So here you... and I'll just... leave. Alright? Good talk."


	2. Rare Opportunities

"Fuck!" Chan yelled for probably the sixth time today. He had kicked the metal bars that kept him captive, only to realize how much of a stupid idea that was. His foot throbbed with pain and it only caused his frustrations to become more of a nuisance than it already was. How long would those guards have been locked up for? When would he get out? Would they even question the fact that a young boy stealing jewelry could be apart of the Banished?

He's tried to escape several times already, don't get him wrong. On the way to this prison he had slipped out of the guards' sight, making a run for the forest he knew oh so well. Yet someone caught him escaping and he wasn't allowed to just walk with them back with the guards around him. One of them had picked up the boy the thrown him over the shoulder and taking him forcefully once again.

It didn't end there, as Chan refused to be held prisoner. He ended up putting up a fight as he wasn't some random damsel in distress that you could just sling over your shoulder like that. He had kicked the guard in the gut, forcing the man to double over in sudden pain. He dropped the young Banished and snatched up his sword so he could put up some sort of fight. Though fighting with a sword was much more difficult than fighting with daggers, so he was quickly apprehended.

So the guards had went with the alternate solution, the Ride of Shame Chan had called it. It was a prison cart, no walls stopping the citizens of Pledis from watching him being carried off to a prison. Just metal bars for both him and the people to look through and stare. The guards had even tied a rope around Chan's wrists to keep him from using his hands. How clever they were now after discovering how hard it would be to keep him in one place.

Did they stop Chan though? No. He ended up picking the lock when the guards had stopped to give this Lady Nayoung back her necklace. Despite his wrists being tied together to make escape harder, he has nabbed the keys from the unsuspecting guard's belt. Fumbling with it in his hands had reached through the gaps in the bars and unlocked the door. He would have gotten out free if some random citizen wasn't watching his every move and yelled out what he was doing.

And thus he ended up in a prison cell, shackled latched onto his arms so that people could hear him from a mile away this time. He leaned against the wall, sliding down onto the floor in defeat. How quickly the Banished notice his absence? He hoped it was fast, he desperate for any means of escape. "I hate this." He muttered, hitting the back of his head on the wall as he waited for time to pass.

Metal boots clanged on the stone floor, signaling the appearance of guards or knights coming close. The boy scrambled towards the metal bars, peering through him to see who was coming. It was a regular old guard dressed in heavy weighted armor while the other looked to be a General of some sorts, not wearing the same outfit as the guard next to him. He looked comfortable in the clothing he wore, a royal blue coat dawned with glittering metals and gold practically dripping off it.

"Perhaps I should arrange some sort of a activity with the prince?" He spoke, glancing towards the knight with his hands behind his back. "The prince hasn't taken a liking to me every since he was born and hasn't changed since then. It's been 24 years and he still refuses to trust me. The Duke won't like this, he never has." The General informed as the two began to walk right past Chan's cell.

The shackles jingled as he grabbed the metal bars, shaking them with as much strength as he could to catch their attention. "Hey! When the hell am I going to get out of here, huh?" Chan yelled at them, frown on his face. He wanted to get out of the cell as fast as he could, but he also interested in what the general had to say. The prince? The princes of Pledis he meant? The whole reason why he was in the kingdom for the princes.

The General stopped in his tracks, turning towards Chan with a icy cold glare. It made him gulp, not realizing who he was messing with before it was too late. "Why is this one not chained up?" He asked, glancing to the chain that sat untouched in the back of the room. The Banished felt everything in his body freeze, hoping that the General wouldn't come in the complete the task that his little underlings failed to do.

The guard tried to explain the situation, he tried to explain how slick and squirmy Chan was for getting out of things. However the General didn't listen and reaching through the bars to grab his face. The Banished practically hissed in response, grabbing the General's hands and trying to get them off. "Hey, screw off! If you aren't going to tell me when I'm going to leave then leave me alone."

The General didn't care what was coming out of Chan's mouth. He used one hand to keep his face out of the way and the other to hastily touch the skin on his neck. "Why hasn't he been marked yet?" The man asked, getting more angry with the guard behind him. "Why are you all so behind in your tasks? He hasn't been properly apprehended and you haven't marked him to keep tabs on the prisoner? Honestly what am I going to do with you all!?"

"The Duke!" The guard confessed, lowering his head so he didn't have to look at his higher up. He shut his eyes tight as his hands shook in pure fright. "The... the Duke found out about his existence and asked for the guards not to mark him yet. He wanted to personally speak with the boy." Both the General and Chan looked dumbfounded at his statement. The Duke? Wanted something to do with Chan? What a nice lie that is.

"Are you out of your mind?" The General asked, leaving Chan to go and terrorize the guard he has originally been kind towards. "What type of lie is that? You could have came up with literally anything you tell me that garbage?" It was at this point he noticed that the General had keys strapped to his belt, prison keys. It was as if there were millions of signs pointing towards the keys now that he spotted them, yelling at him to go get them.

He knew he shouldn't, not with the shackles attached to him. Yet impulse was just begging Chan to take his chance to be free. All noises beside the jingling of the General's keys had been blocked up, putting the boy in higher focus mode. As best as he could he stuck his hand out through the metal bars of the cell, the keys were right in arms reach. All he needed was to just grab it and make a run for it.

"That's enough, General." A new voice broke Chan's trance, making him back away from the bars. His heart pounded in his ears, frightened by the sudden intrusion. Did that person see him trying to steal the keys? Would this result in an even worse faith coming for the Banished? Whatever it was, he hoped that whoever had saw him would have mercy. He wasn't really prepared for a death of some sorts yet.

As if the General wasn't the already the epitome of wealthy and high ranking, this guy was. Leather boots, big expensive fur coat that was being dragged across the floor like it was nothing, and did he mention the amount of gold and jewelry dripping off of this man? He put the General's attire to shame, as there was gold on his fingers, his neck, his ears, almost everywhere. This new man practically shined in the face of someone who was so poor. 

A top this man's head was a coronet, golden strawberry leaves sprouting from the head piece. It only meant one thing, that the man in front of Chan was the Duke. "Your Grace." The General exclaimed, kneeling down in an instant. The guard next to him followed suit hesitantly, confused on why the situation he was in has switched so quickly. Chan watched as the had almost refused to rise to their feet once again. "I apologize if we had caused a scene. I was only—"

"Silence." He hissed, shutting the General up quickly. The man cautiously glanced towards the higher up, almost trying to question why he was here. "I am not here for whatever little commotions you are causing. I am here for him." The Duke explained, turning toward Chan and making eye contact with him. The boy felt like he had been tied up as he practically squirmed under the gaze of the Duke.

Chan didn't want to be here, if anything he wanted to pretend he wasn't supposed to be in this conversation. However when he cautiously pointing towards himself to make sure the Duke had the right person, he knew wasn't able to escape this conversation. The royal had nodded in response to his attack as he stepped towards the cell holding him captive. "Leave us." The Duke told the guard and the General, not even looking back at them. "I have important business with this boy."

The guard gladly obliged, rising to his feet and running away from the scene. The General, however, didn't follow suit. He only stood up and stared at the Duke and Chan, trying to read whatever was going on in the royal's head. Yet when all he received was another command to leave, the General glared daggers into Chan's skull. Yet left without anymore hesitation.

There was a painful silence between the two, making the Banished more uncomfortable with being alone with the Duke than he wanted. Chan opened his mouth to question him, to pester the royal into giving him all the answers he needed. However the royal got to the questions first. "What is your name?" The Duke asked him, scanning Chan's attire.

He narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him. "Lee Chan." The Banished responded, sitting up as the shackles jingling in response. "Why is that so important to you? You're a duke right? You should be more concerned with... kingdom things." Chan pointed out, beginning his pestering. The Duke only chuckled at the boy's response, but he didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

"Lee Chan, I am Choi Yongsun. I am the Duke of Pledis Kingdom and, of course, the brother of our king." He stated, giving him information that Chan didn't really want. The boy gave him a look, not really caring for whatever the Duke wanted to be spilling. The man noticed his uninterested expression and grinned at him. "Tell me, Lee Chan, do you know what is currently happening to this kingdom and it's king?"

"Well, yeah." That's why I'm here. "The current king of Pledis is dying. It's dying without an official heir to the throne. The kings here usually pick which one of their sons they want to lead the kingdom next, but the current king is dying and has no time to pick. That leaves twelve princes and an empty seat for the throne." Chan explained, finally getting into territory he knew.

The Duke nodded, and began to chuckle. "Oh how educated are you." He told him, a small smirk beginning to grow on his face. "Lee Chan, I'm here to propose a deal to you. A deal you'd like very, very much." He'd be lying to himself if he said he was intrigued. The royal Duke himself had came down to the prison cells to propose a deal to him? It was definitely becoming a little more interesting.

"I want that throne." The Duke stated, his hands balling up into a fist. "My father had given the kingdom to my brother, but it was supposed to be mine. I know it should have been mine the day he Banished those people without question." He explained, making Chan's breath hitch. The man was talking the Banished, he was talking about them.

"I haven't had a chance to even try and help my brother fix his mistakes, I couldn't do it on my own. And then he has children." The Duke continued, now speaking about the current princes of Pledis. "Twelve children, all with different mothers and only one would have to take the throne. Yet he never picked a throne and the royal court will be struggling to pick a new leader for themselves. I cannot participate in taking the throne, I am no longer young. But you are."

"Lee Chan," He spoke, finally getting to the conclusion of the conversation. "I need you to pretend to be my son, become Prince Choi Chan until the council chooses the next king. I can do all the work for you, put in good words and help them see that you are the one right for the throne." The Duke spoke, holding out his hand for the boy to shake. "Get picked to become king of Pledis and then let me take over so I can set things right. In return I will give you whatever you desire without question."

Chan looked at his cautiously, before grinning. He grabbed the man's hand and shook it without hesitation. Of course he had an ulterior motive, he was from the Banished and he had work to be done. The Duke was just making things incredibly easy for him, he had just given him an easy way into the palace. "Deal, old man." He spoke, his grip tightening the more he began to think about the future.


	3. Palace of Gold

He was shaking, but he didn't exactly know why. Was it excitement? Anxiousness? Maybe even fear? Whatever it was he had to mask it to the best of his ability, he couldn't let the Duke find out that he was genuinely shaking from who knows what. He had put up this strong and sly act in front of him, so what would the duke do if he found out that Chan was actually trembling. The boy held his hands together in a desperate attempt hide to most obvious of the trembling.

Chan and the Duke were sitting inside of a carriage, which he could only assume was owned by the royal himself. It was pretty, black and gold on the outside with the royal insignia of what he could only define as the number seventeen. He could practically fall asleep on the seats in the carriage, they felt as comfortable as a bed after you return from a hard day at work. If Chan dozed off though he wouldn't have time to listen to the Duke's briefing as they neared the palace walls.

"You are Prince Choi Chan, my son." He informed, closing the curtain next to him to keep the sun out. "You were the result of a fling who had just been discovered to be of royal blood, my blood. I'm bring you to the palace to learn the life of royalty and run for next in line to the throne." The Duke finished, glancing towards Chan as he finished his explanation. "Any questions?"

He shrugged, a grin on his face as he spoke,"You just have been thinking about this for a very long time haven't you?" Chan questioned. The Duke's face turned grim as if he had descended to a sensitive topic. The Banished shifted to the side to look out the window that was still open. "It was a joke." He mumbled, yet it was just loud enough for him to hear. Did Chan have to pretend he was had respect and loved the Duke as a father? Because he sure wasn't putting on a very good act right now.

The carriage skidded the a halt, the horses pulling it neighing as they finally had a chance to rest their tired hooves. You'd be surprised how far away the cell Chan had been held in was. It didn't take long for the horses to get to the palace, but by foot it might have taken an hour or so to get from the prisons to the palace. He curiously peered out of the window to see what was happening, but was simply greeted by a servant and a guard running up to the carriage.

The Duke stood up out of his seat as the door of the carriage opened, a guard holding it open for him and a servant bowing to him. "Your Grace, we welcome you back to the palace." She spoke, rising after a few more seconds of her bow. Her eyes landed on Chan, who was looking out through the window down to them. He jerked back as the maid suddenly spoke with cautiousness,"You brought... a guest, your Grace?"

Chan's eyes darted towards the Duke, trying to see what his next move was. He sighed as urged the boy to come forward. "This is my son," He stated, earning a shocked expression from the servant and even a sudden waver from the guard. Chan could only guess that the Duke had never set up his plan before hand. "A woman had came to me and cried that he was my son, and after a few tests it was found true. I've decided to become the father I never knew I was and raise him for myself."

Chan had to resist himself from snorting. What a nice little sob story he came up with. He wonder how long the Duke took trying to figure out the perfect melodramatic excuse to get everyone to believe him. "This is Choi Chan, Prince Choi Chan." The Duke stepped out of the way so that Chan could take the stage and have the attention on him. The boy gave him a confused look, not wanting to be put on the spot that fast.

He glanced to the side to see the servant bowing and the guard kneeling to him, quoting words that must be engraved in their brains. "Welcome, Prince Choi Chan, to the Pledis Palace." Chan was only able to spill out a thank you, not used to this sudden respect he had. Unless you were or related to the leader of the Banished, everyone treated you like were the same as them. Washed and thrown out trash that the kingdom disposed of. It made his skin crawl with this sudden special treatment.

The Duke urged Chan to walk out of the carriage and he did so, looking around in awe of where they current were. The ground wasn't even grass and dirt, it was made out of marble, the sun and sky reflecting off of it perfectly. In front of him stood a giant castle looking as though it was made out of pure gold and nothing else. High on the roof the flag of the kingdom with the same insignia that was on the carriage, expect colored with the pretty colors of light blue and pink.

"They weren't joking when people said they lived in luxury, huh." He mumbled to himself, recalling all the stories he had been told of the grand palace that most likely costed more than the entire kingdom put together. He jumped when the horses let out a defiant neigh, turning around to see the coachman lead the horses to go knows were. Perhaps a stable made of diamond? Chan wouldn't be surprised honestly.

"Your Grace, I am slightly confused." The servant questioned as she led the way into the palace. Chan quickly followed after, walking behind the Duke and servant who were in front. He listens to their conversation, slightly tense on what the servant had to ask. "You referred to your son as... prince. Should you not call him a marquess? He is your son, not the King's."

Chan's darted towards the Duke with a slightly skeptical look, wondering how he'd get out of this one. They stopped at the palace doors and as the servant was opening the door for him, he spoke again. "Ah... that is because my son will be running for the next king." He answered, catching everyone off guard. Chan was practically choking on air at this point, who said he had to be so straight forward about this?! Just tell them he wanted the throne and go if he was going to do that.

"I will be speaking with the Royal Council on this matter. For now I want you to lead the prince to where he'll be staying." With that the Duke said as they all walked inside. Chan was slightly distracted by the blinding light of the corridor they neared. A rose red carpet has covered up what he'd assume was a marble floor and a chandelier hung down from the ceiling to provide a dazzling light. Each wall had either a mirror, painting, or window. He was awestruck, definitely not used to expensive taste of the Royals.

"Your highness," the servant spoke, catching his attention. He glanced up to see the Duke walking away in the opposite direction, leaving him to fend for himself. "Your room is this way. His Grace as also informed me you will be taking etiquette lessons since you have been with the common people for awhile. Don't worry, we will have you up to date with the current princes in no time."

She began walking towards the stairs at the end of the corridor, giving Chan no time to question her. Etiquette lessons? He guessed it made sense, it would give off the effect that he was actually supposed to be with royalty if he ever went out in public. But he didn't know exactly what etiquette... implied in this situation. "What all is involved in, uh, etiquette lessons?" He asked as he picked up the pace to keep up with her.

The servant began to climb the stairs, taking a few moments to think of his questions. "Simple things, nothing too hard. Things like how to walk perfectly, how to greet others of royalty or nobility. Learning history and taking musical. How to defend yourself and how to eat with manners. Of course we cannot forget how to smile and wave at your people—"

"All of that sounds boring!" Chan complained, not wanting to anything that the woman had said. "What else is there, writing proper letters? Learn the perfect sitting posture? What all are you, perfectionist?" He hissed, almost reluctantly following after the servant now. To his dismay though, it seemed as she was taking his mocks into consideration. "Those were jokes. Does no one here understand the concept of jokes?"

The servant stopped once she reached the stop of the stairs, scanning the hallway. “This hall has all the princes’ bedroom. I believe we have a spare room that was never used on this hall. Allow me to lead you to it.” She stated as she began walking again, greeting her fellow servants and maids who gave Chan questionable looks. Once word got out that he was the Duke’s “son” who knew what kind of chaos would occur.

His eyes traveled to ever door he could spot, finding name plate on the doorframe of each. It must be hard having twelve princes inhabit the palace, each room had probably gotten fought over as they all grew older. It would explain the name plate that was on the doors, it was an attempt to stop the princes from fighting over rooms. For now, it looked like it had worked. The servant stopped at the very last door, opening the door for him and bowing. 

“This is were you will be staying. The couturiers will arrive soon to take your measures for fitted clothing and a crown.” He nodded as he walked in and the doors slowly shut behind him. Chan looked around like a lost dog, letting his new setting sink into his mind. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t overwhelmed, everything was so different from what he was used to. There was a huge door that led to a balcony, a large and comfy looking bed staring him down, a door to what Chan could immediately assume was a walk in closet.

A sparkling chandelier hung from the ceiling, the floors were practically covered in gold, hell even the ceiling had a painting on it. Nice furniture and carpets, everything was clean and shining like the sun had been pulled into his room. His back hit the wall, unsure of what to do now. He made it, he was inside the palace and he had a solid cover to keep him from being called suspicious. People were obligated to trust him with his fake relation to the Duke. Yet it felt like... he was being overstimulated with the unfamiliar. “This... is going to be one long ass ride.”


	4. Favorite Prince

"This will help your posture, trust me. You need to at least stand like royalty. You've failed at addressing them by the right title and having the right table manners." A servant spoke, a wooden pointer in her hands as she circled Chan. The Banished put on his best fake smile, trying to please the woman as best as he possibly could. However felt like he was going to die. They had began his first etiquette lessons a two days ago, the servant saying they had a lot of work to do if he wanted to catch up with the other princes. 

He had expected some sort of lesson in politics, or sword fighting, or military plans that he'd have to learn to follow one day. Chan shouldn't have put his expectations so high when the maid from his first day had told him all the boring and dull things they did for etiquette lessons. For about four hours each day, he had been balancing a book on his head and putting all his focus into making sure it didn't fall off his head. In the meantime the servant was constantly correcting him if he did something wrong.

Were his legs too far apart from each other? He'd earn a slap on his legs for him to hurry and close the gap. Were his hands not laying down on his sides? He'd earn a slap for him to drop them from the air like they were lifeless dolls. God forbid he started slouching again, his shoulders were aching from the amount of times this woman had forced him to stand up straight. His body was in way too much pain and he didn't want to risk getting slapped by that wooden pointer in her hand again.

She examined the boy once more, making sure everything he was doing was absolutely perfect. She seemed annoyed as she spoke,"I'll call in the couturier to get your measurements for your clothing and coronet. For now I'll see if any of the princes will be willing to let you wear something from their wardrobe." She told him, walking up to him and finally taking the books off of his head.

His whole body felt a million times lighter now that she had removed them from his head. Chan huffed as he searched for the nearest chair to sit in. "The princes? Does that mean I finally get to meet all of them? And what's wrong with what I'm wearing now?" He questioned, collapsing into an awfully comfy chair. "I for one think my clothes look pretty stylish." The servant turned towards Chan so quick she could have gotten whiplash.

Her eyes scanned his clothes and her face began to contort into a scowl. "Your pants are old and torn up, your shirt is stained with dirt and it's faded. To top it all off it you brought a window curtain as a cloak to my etiquette lesson. Trust me, dear, you need something much better then what you're currently offering." Chan frowned, trying to resist a glare that so desperately wanted to appear on his face. She didn't have to be so harsh to him, all he did was breathe. Plus when he was with the Banished, what he was wearing now was considered stylish.

Yet wasn't he supposed to the "Duke's Son"? She should be treating him as a higher up! A noble! An actual member of the royal family! She was addressing him as if he was on the same level as her, a lowly servant serving the royal family of Pledis. In a way, he was lower than her with his identity actually being a Banished. But the servant didn't know that, so he deserved more respect than he was getting.

"Get up," She hissed, hitting his legs with her wooden pointer. "I can't stand the sight of you in such an attire. We will just head to the couturier's studio ourselves." The servant told him. Chan groaned, forcing himself to his feet as she began to scurry out of the doorway. He followed after her, though trying to figure out if there was some way he could summon the Duke to his aid when things were getting far too annoying for him.

If he made a summoning circle, would the Duke appear after he made it? It honestly felt like it would work. Chan considered that man a demon for letting him struggle in the place like this. He didn't even stick around for that long! Where was the fatherly love he was supposed to be pretending to have so they looked like a believable family? The Duke must have sucked at play pretend as a child.

Without even realizing it, he was farther away from the prince's rooms than he wanted to be. The etiquette lessons were half way across the palace, very far from his own room as well. He hadn't even made eye contact with any sort of true nobility or royalty since he had entered the palace. It was just butlers and maids as far as the eye can see. If he was keeping count right, he had seen at least thirty different servants in one day.

The two began to descend down a flight of stairs, even farther away from the prince's rooms that were on the second floor on the other side of the palace. He let out a loud huff, attempting to contain any sort of childish tantrum that wanted to escape his mouth. "It's been two days." Chan stated, picking up the pace so that he was standing side by side with the servant. "Two. Yet I still haven't met any of the princes of this palace, how long are you going to keep me away from them."

The servant stopped at the final step, crossing her arms as she glanced back towards him. "You will meet the princes once you are presentable enough to be in the same room as royalty born children." She snapped, making Chan back down from any sort of advancements he was going to try and make. So much for any attempt at negotiating, this woman was a grinch. 

He needed to meet the princes though, it was the whole reason he had agreed to the Duke's deal. It was all apart of the Banished's plan, their sweet sweet revenge they were wanted ever so badly. Chan was supposed to find out all the princes's weaknesses and strengths, he needed to find out what made them tick. With the information he would gather after getting to know them, he'd use it against them and silence the prince's for the rest of their lives.

And then the Banished would take the throne for themselves. They're retake the kingdom that has shunned them out and treated them like some sort of extinct part of their history. Once the throne was theirs, they were going to run the kingdom to the ground. No mercy for even the most innocent of souls, the kingdom of Pledis would become a myth to the next generation. Yet this servant was making this hard for him to even achieve!

They continued their trek in silence, not daring to speak to one another. Was there any way for Chan to get a new teacher? He didn't know how long he'd be staying in the palace, but he didn't want to spend a majority of it with such a mean spirited person. "Oh today must be your lucky day, here comes my favorite prince of them all!" The servant spoke, slowing down into a snail's pace. 

Chan frowned at the servant for sudden slow in pace and looked up to see the prince she was talking about. He could immediately understand why he was her favorite prince. The boy practically towered over her in comparison to height and the angelic features of his face illuminating every time the sunlight shined through the windows onto his face. He looked pretty soft, as if he couldn't hurt even a single fly. 

"Your highness, Prince Jeonghan." She spoke, bowing to the prince as soon as he got close to him. Chan simply stood there, his eyes examining the prince closely to see if he could spot any sort of strengths or weaknesses right off the bat. Yet all he could really notice from this quick exchange was that the prince got an inch on Chan in the height level. 

The prince gave Chan the same hard stare before turning to the servant. "We have a guest?" The woman suddenly stood straight up, forcing the Banished to bow down with her. The boy hissed in response, not knowing why he of all people should be bowing to Prince Jeonghan. According to the Duke, he was on their level! He was royalty too! So that meant he didn't have to bow right?

"My apologies, your highness!" The servant spoke, keeping Chan down by pulling on his shirt collar. "You were not supposed to be introduced to him yet! He is not fit to be in such a radiant presence as yours!" The boy have the woman an offend glance, finally resisting her hold and standing back up. She just couldn't keep her mouth shut about him not being fit was he? Yet with another glance towards Prince Jeonghan... he supposed she was right.

Chan looked like a true peasant with his ruffled and messy hair, worn out and torn up clothes desperately hanging onto him as if they were on their last leg. The prince was practically sparkling every time Chan blinked, and his attire was much better than his. His shirt popped with a rosy white color, looking brand new and probably smelled like some sort of rare flower if he got close enough to him. His hair was styled in the classic prince cut, ironically, neat and evenly brushed out. Chan could scoff out loud if he really wanted to.

Prince Jeonghan truly did look better than him. Hell, probably all the prince's look much better than he was right now. Chan had to stay true to his original fact though. With the Banished, he looked just the way the prince did. Stunning and handsome compared to all those around him. He couldn't let some sort of anxiety or inferior bring him down.

He was snapped back into reality when the servant began to address him. "This is Prince Choi Chan, the lost child of the Duke's. The Duke himself brought him to the palace in an attempt to teach him how to live lavishly in royalty... and to also run for king." She stated, hesitantly saying those last fee towards. Chan couldn't help but smirk, she must have not liked the thought of Chan taking over the throne.

"Ah I see..." The prince let his eyes wander back to Chan, narrowing them as he looked him up and down. The Banished gave him an expectant look, waiting for some crude and criticizing words to exit his mouth. However Prince Jeonghan simply smiled as he bend down slightly to match Chan's high and began to pinch his cheeks. "Oh how cute, I hope you have a fun time playing with the big boys." 

"I'm sorry, what?" Chan asked, his eyes widening like full moons. Did the prince hush imply that he was a baby playing with older kids. It made his blood boil, he didn't like it. Honestly he could make any excuse to tell the servant that the prince was criticizing him. Yet this was her favorite prince, she wouldn't hesitate to stand by Prince Jeonghan before him. 

"Your highness, you'll have to excuse us for now." The servant began, genuine sadness in her voice. "I am supposed to take Prince Choi Chan to the couturier so he can get his measurements for his clothing." Prince Jeonghan nodded, smiling at the two as he stood back up to his full height. He waved the two good bye, finally leaving them alone. The servant waited till the prince was out of sight to begin fawning for the man she couldn't have.

Chan only gave her a disgusting and uninterested look, not wanting to hear her ramble on how great the prince was. "Ah yes, Prince Jeonghan sure is amazing." He spoke, backing away from the servant as she replied something incoherent to him. The boy began to run as fast as his feet could take him in a desperate attempt to get away from the servant. If he had to sit through that sob feast any longer he would have jumped out a window.

He didn't know when he'd notice his absence, though it would probably be when she clocked back into reality. Chan would use this time to final explore the entire palace, something no one had decided to do for him. So what if he wasn't the spitting image of royalty yet? He'd like to know his way around the palace before he got lost at one point. Perhaps he should have asked Prince Jeonghan to take him with him, but would they proof the prince's point?

That Chan was just a little kid trying to keep up with the big ones? It made the boy bubble with anger, his hands balling up into a fist just at the thought. He'd die before letting Prince Jeonghan have his way. For some reason, the prince gave off this vibe that he'd be treating him like a baby. Was it because of the age gap? Height difference? Life difference? Whatever it was, he wasn't going to let it stand in between him and that throne.

He skidded to a stop at the stairs, hearing a conversation going on at the top of it. Chan squinted his eyes to try and see who was all the way on that top floor, and he could make out the image of the Duke walking towards the staircase. A few officials were behind him, trying to confirm some sort of information with him. "Bingo." The boy sneered, stepping up to dash up towards him.

He was stopped before he could even do anything. As soon as he began to sprint up the stairs, someone grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him down. Chan felt like he was being choked as he fell the ground, an aching pain shooting through his back at the sudden impact. “Ah... what the hell...” He mumbled, getting off the ground and looking up. Once more, he was greeted by none other than Prince Jeonghan himself.

The prince seemed disheveled, his chest rising and falling at a fast pace as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I knew... you were going to do something.” He huffed, taking quick and fast breaths as he tried to regain his composure. “You looked like a troublemaker, and you are a troublemaker.” Prince Jeonghan complained, a frown on his face as he finally calmed himself down. Chan opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn’t even given a chance.

The prince placed a hand on his mouth, forcing the boy to move behind the stairs out of sight. Chan fought against his persistence, trying to shove Prince Jeonghan away from him. Yet he didn’t even budget at his squirming. Chan wasn’t very good at physical strength, it wasn’t really his forte. Though now he realizes how important that type of strength just might be when it came to people bigger and stronger than him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Duke descend down the stairs. Those same officials were still following after him, trying to catch his attention for the records they held in their hands. The Duke wasn’t paying attention to them, just telling them to read it off to him out loud so he didn’t have to read it himself. Once the group had disappeared from sight, Prince Jeonghan relaxed.

Chan snacked his hand away from him, pushing him back a little. “What’s your problem? Why’d you do that!?” Was a prince’s face supposed to look that punchable? The Banished kept having to fend away the feeling to trying something stupid. If breaking the prince’s nose was a stupid idea.

“You left the servant who was looking after you. You’re trying to do something sneaking, I can feel it.” Prince Jeonghan states, crossing his arms. Chan scoffed, rolling his eyes at him. Well the prince was one to talk wasn’t he? 

“I’m trying to be sneaking?” Chan asked him, and the prince nodded in reply. “You’re the one who came out of literally nowhere and forced me behind the stairs! If anything, you’re the sneaky one. All I want to do is explore this palace since I’m going to be living in it for who knows how long. Yet you come here and insult me and call me sneaky!” Prince Jeonghan wasn’t really wrong though, Chan was hiding the fact that he was a Banished and was working with the Duke.

“Insult you?” Prince Jeonghan asked, slightly shocked at what he had said. “I never said anything insulting to you. I don’t know you well enough to such a thing.” He explained. The confusion was evident in the prince’s face. It was as if the words were written right across his forehead, displayed for everyone to see. 

Chan frowned, eying the prince warily. “You called me a child, you implied I was a baby compared to you grown up blue bloods.” The boy pushed past the confused prince, not even bothering to explain why he felt so offended by his statement earlier. He turned to go up the stairs before looking back at the prince. “Well let me tell you Prince Jeonghan, I’m about to grow up real quick.”


	5. Author’s Note

Apologizes for the sudden hiatus of Fake King!! with the Christmas break approaching for students, I hope to bring back fake king (even tho it has very little fans I just like this story a lot lmao) so the adventure of Lee Chan can continue!! See you soon ;9 💕


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